Manson denied parole again

Manson denied parole again

1of9Charles Manson, seen here earlier this month, says he is 'not like the average inmate.'Photo: Anonymous

2of9FILE - This file combo of photographs shows how Charles Manson has looked over the years from 1969 up to the most recently released photo in 2011. Manson is scheduled to have a parole hearing at Corcoran State Prison in Central Calif., on Weds., April 11, 2012. (AP Photo, File)Photo: Anonymous

3of9Debra Tate, sister of murdered actress Sharon Tate, speaks at a news conference after she testified at a parole hearing for Charles Manson at Corcoran State Prison in Corcoran, Calif., Wednesday, April 11, 2012. The panel denied parole for mass murderer Manson, 77, in his 12th and possibly final bid for freedom. Tate testified that Mason has shown no remorse for his crimes and should not be granted parole. (AP Photo/Tracie Cone, Pool)Photo: Tracie Cone

4of9Debra Tate, sister of murdered actress Sharon Tate, speaks at a news conference after she testified at a parole hearing for Charles Manson at Corcoran State Prison in Corcoran, Calif., Wednesday, April 11, 2012. The panel denied parole for mass murderer Manson, 77, in his 12th and possibly final bid for freedom. Tate testified that Mason has shown no remorse for his crimes and should not be granted parole. (AP Photo/Tracie Cone)Photo: Tracie Cone

5of9Debra Tate, right, sister of murdered actress Sharon Tate, testifies at a parole hearing for Charles Manson in front of parole board members John Peck, center, and Gilbert Robles, left, at Corcoran State Prison in Corcoran, Calif., Wednesday, April 11, 2012. The panel denied parole for mass murderer Manson, 77, in his 12th and possibly final bid for freedom. Tate testified that Mason has shown no remorse for his crimes and should not be granted parole. (AP Photo/Tracie Cone, Pool)Photo: Tracie Cone

6of9The thick prison file of Charles Manson is shown at a parole hearing at Corcoran State Prison in Corcoran, Calif., Wednesday, April 11, 2012. Mass murderer Charles Manson was denied parole again Wednesday in his 12th and probably final bid for freedom. (AP Photo/Tracie Cone, Pool)Photo: Tracie Cone

7of9FILE -- In a Sept. 2, 2009 file photo Debra Tate, sister of slain Sharon Tate, speaks during a parole hearing for Manson follower Susan Atkins at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, Calif. Tate hopes that Wednesday, April 11, 2012, is the last time she has to walk into a prison holding Charles Manson and testify in front of a parole board panel that he should not be freed. (AP Photo/Ben Margot/FILE)Photo: POOL Ben Margot

8of9Debra Tate, sister of murdered actress Sharon Tate, cries at a news conference as she recalls her feelings of relief upon learning that Manson would be denied parole, after she testified at a parole hearing for Charles Manson at Corcoran State Prison in Corcoran, Calif., Wednesday, April 11, 2012. The panel denied parole for mass murderer Manson, 77, in his 12th and possibly final bid for freedom. Tate testified that Mason has shown no remorse for his crimes and should not be granted parole. (AP Photo/Tracie Cone, Pool)Photo: Tracie Cone

9of9Debra Tate, sister of murdered actress Sharon Tate, cries at a news conference as she recalls her feelings of relief upon learning that Manson would be denied parole, after she testified at a parole hearing for Charles Manson at Corcoran State Prison in Corcoran, Calif., Wednesday, April 11, 2012. The panel denied parole for mass murderer Manson, 77, in his 12th and possibly final bid for freedom. Tate testified that Mason has shown no remorse for his crimes and should not be granted parole. (AP Photo/Tracie Cone)Photo: Tracie Cone

CORCORAN, Calif. - A prison panel denied parole Wednesday to mass murderer Charles Manson in his 12th and probably final bid for freedom.

Manson, now 77 years old, did not attend the hearing where the parole board ruled he had shown no efforts to rehabilitate himself and would not be eligible for parole for another 15 years.

"This panel can find nothing good as far as suitability factors go," said John Peck, a member of the panel that met at Corcoran State Prison in central California.

Also playing heavily into the board's decision was something Manson had said recently to one of his prison psychologists that Peck read aloud.

" 'I'm special. I'm not like the average inmate,' " Peck said. "'I have spent my life in prison. I have put five people in the grave. I am a very dangerous man.' "

Peck then spoke for the record directly to Manson, who will receive a transcription of the proceedings: "This panel agrees with that statement."

The panel deliberated for 20 minutes before making its decision.

Manson orchestrated a series of gruesome murders on consecutive nights that terrified the city of Los Angeles 40 years ago. His trial with three female acolytes was an international spectacle.

Manson and his followers were convicted in the 1969 slaying of actress Sharon Tate and four others.

Referring to the bizarre scene that included bloody scrawling on walls and use of the words "Helter Skelter," the prosecutor claimed the phrase reflected Manson's twisted idea that he could cause a race war with the killings.

No clear motive was ever established.

"I'm done with him," Debra Tate, the sister of the actress, said after the hearing.

"Two down, six to go," she added, referring to the death in prison of Manson follower Susan Atkins and the remaining six people being held in prison for murders and other crimes committed under Manson's watch.

Later, she cried when she described the relief she felt that she will never have to worry again about Manson going free.

"I didn't expect this feeling of joy today," she said through tears.

For four decades, Debra Tate has traveled to whatever rural California prison has held the notorious cult leader and his band of murderous followers for hearings she said are too numerous to count.

"I've tried to take this thing that I do, that has become my lot in life, and make it have purpose," said Tate, 59. She was 17 in August 1969, when Manson sent his minions across LA on two nights of terror.

"I've been doing it for Sharon and the other victims of him for the last 40 years," she said.

Under current law, inmates can be denied the chance to reapply for parole for up to 15 years. The panel's latest ruling would make Manson 92 before he could get another opportunity to make his case.

Authorities read a litany of Manson's prison infractions, including the latest - the manufacture and possession of a weapon, for which he is serving 15 months in an isolation unit. He has not completed his GED or taken any self-improvement classes in prison.

"It's obvious from everything in the record that Mr. Manson remains a danger to the public," said Deputy District Attorney Patrick Sequeira who argued against parole.

Even Manson's state-appointed attorney, DeJon Lewis, found it difficult to argue for a client who had refused to meet with him. He said at the hearing that Manson should be in a hospital, but acknowledged the terror his client caused.

"The murders showed us that anyone could be killed at any time, and no one was safe, not even at home," Lewis said.

Manson has not appeared at a parole hearing since 1997. His most recent hearing was in 2007.

Manson, however, is anything but a recluse. He has a steady stream of visitors who submit requests to see him, including college students writing papers about him, said Theresa Cisneros, spokeswoman for Corcoran State Prison.

Manson must approve all requests.

"He has a large interested public," Cisneros said, adding that Manson receives more mail than most prisoners.

Manson was depicted at the hearing as the evil master of murder, commanding a small army of young followers. He and the three women were sentenced to death. But their lives were spared when the California Supreme Court briefly outlawed the death penalty in 1972.

Atkins died of a brain tumor in prison. Two others, Leslie Van Houten and Patricia Krenwinkel, remain incarcerated.